


Afterglow

by xylarias



Series: 200 prompts [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Fluff, I Love You, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 20:13:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28534218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xylarias/pseuds/xylarias
Summary: drink-it-write-it's prompt:2. “You should sleep.” - “I’m not human, therefore, I do not require sleep.”
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Series: 200 prompts [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2086749
Kudos: 27





	Afterglow

**Author's Note:**

> vv short (but soft!!) Deancas for the 200 prompts challenge :) sorry if they're a bit ooc (also self-projecting??? what's that??)

"You're so beautiful, Cas," said Dean, gently touching Castiel's face. "So beautiful," he said again, cupping Cas's face.

Castiel frowned, staring back at the man beside him with his blue eyes. "So are you, Dean." Dean laughed, although Castiel had been very serious. Dean was the most gorgeous human being he'd ever seen. And he'd seen many of them.

"It was a compliment," Dean said. "You were supposed to say 'thank you'." Castiel blinked at him.

"Thank you, then," Castiel replied, smiling. "But I hope you know that you are gorgeous." It didn't sound like a compliment from Castiel's mouth. It sounded like a written, undeniable fact. Castiel did what Dean had done to him just a few moments ago – he put his palm on Dean's cheek, running his thumb over Dean's bruises.

Dean exhaled deeply, briefly closing his eyes. "Thank you," he whispered. He opened his eyes again, leaning into Castiel's touch, _yearning_ for it. "I want to say something," Dean confessed, and Castiel's heart fluttered.

"Yes?" the angel asked, vulnerable. Dean sighed, putting his own hand on Castiel's.

"I care about you," said Dean, groaning immediately after getting the words out. "I mean, I – son of a bitch – love you. I love you." Cas let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. "With this line of business, with spirits and angels and demons... I don't know when I'm gonna die. You know? There's no way to know when or how or by whose hand you're going to die, so I..." His voice faltered. "I wanted you to know that I love you." Castiel didn't know how to respond to that. Did he love Dean? _Yes, you do, so much his_ inner voice seemed to say, and maybe the real question wasn't whether Cas loved Dean but whether Dean loved Cas. "Cas?"

Dean's voice snapped Castiel back to reality. Cas blinked. "I love you, too," he blurted out before he could regret it. Dean looked at him, dreamily, his eyelashes shadowing his eyes in the dim light. Dean pressed himself against Castiel, wrapping his arms around the angel. Castiel did the same, letting his forehead rest on Dean's shoulder, inhaling Dean's scent. "I think I always have, ever since we first met." Castiel considered his words. "At least on some level. I've always been drawn to you," Cas explained, caressing the spot on Dean's arm that had the vague outline of Cas's handprint on it. "So yes," said Castiel, "I do love you."

Dean was on the verge of falling asleep, and Castiel could feel it. Dean didn't respond to Castiel's 'I love you', and he was already breathing slower than he had before. "You should sleep," Dean mumbled, burying his face in the space between Cas's neck and shoulder.

"I'm not human, therefore, I do not require sleep." Dean smiled at that – or at least Castiel thought he did.

"You don't sleep?"

"No."

"You're missing out on one hell of a time," said Dean, and Castiel supposed that it was supposed to be some sort of joke. One Castiel did not understand. "Sleeping safe and sound is, like, heaven. No offense."

"None taken," Castiel responded, soothingly running his fingers through Dean's hair. He enjoyed that, Castiel had realized. It calmed him down.

Eventually, Dean fell asleep. Castiel didn't, but he stayed next to the human. Because he wanted to. Because he loved Dean. And the best thing was that Dean loved him too. Castiel would stay right here forever, if only he could.

He would stay beside Dean, his home.


End file.
